The Art of Love, War and Revenge
by Celeborn
Summary: Complete A/U. Can he learn to love? Will she be able to provide him with the means of revenge? Will there be enough to wage war on an enemy so ruthless as Freiza? Read and find out!


            Ok. This is an **extreme** A/U here. It's going to have a lot of different stuff than my usual plots. It does not take place on Earth, or in the three years before the androids. It will explain itself as it progresses, so I won't ruin the plot in the summary. Just remember how Vegeta was before he ever met Goku. He wasn't the crazy hot head, but a more calculating and cunning schemer. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1: Rescued?

A figure in a hooded robe made it's way through the market streets, under the vigilant eye of a large blue skinned man. He glanced around at the variety of aliens that congregated on the small backwater planet known as the Slave Quarter.

            They stopped at the large dais that sat in the middle of the square. A fat humanoid man was in the process of auctioning off a pale, skinny lizard like creature.

            As the day drew on, the crowd grew with curious onlookers and prospective buyers looking for a deal. A dozen more enslaved creatures were auctioned off to a fate unknown. Finally, the last captive was brought out. The one they had been anxiously awaiting. He was led to the front of the stage by two large Murelian guards. And from the look of things, they were having a difficult time keeping him under control.

            Ice blue eyes watched from under the hood as the human looking man was presented to the crowd. He was somewhat on the short side, but his build left no uncertainties that he was unusually powerful. His hair was black and wildly arrayed in a spiked peak. A prehensile tail hugged his trim waist. On closer inspection, you could tell he had been malnourished for some time.

            A thin silver collar encircled the thick-corded neck. Very misleading, it could easily be mistaken for jewelry. But the experienced eye knew what it really was. A chi collar. It was always used on prisoners or slaves who were too strong to be handled by their keepers.

            The face was bruised and swollen in places, but still quite handsome. More so for the way the man presented himself than anything. Confident, defiant, princely to say the least.

            "And here we have a fine specimen, Ladies and Gentlemen. A Saiyan. Took quite a few boys to down this one. They're known for their longevity and strength. Make a great field hand if you don't mind beating him. What say we start the bidding at a thousand grid?"

            Most of the men in the crowd looked skeptical. Anyone with any sense could see this man was as deadly as they came. Were it not for the collar, he could have easily annihilated the entire city with twitch of a finger.

            "A thousand!" chirped a female voice from the front row.

            "Two thousand!" another female voice.

            The hooded figure smirked and nodded to the man who had been patiently awaiting orders.

            He opened his mouth to yell a bid, but was interrupted as three women in the front began a fervent bid war.

            "Six thousand!" "Eight thousand!" "I bid twelve thousand!" "Fifteen!"

            The crowd murmured with excitement at the money being offered for a simple slave.

            "End this Ralston."

            He nodded. "Fifty thousand grid!" his bass voice boomed over the din. A hush fell as curious onlookers turned to stare at the pair in the back.

            The auctioneer almost bubbled over. That was more money than he had made in the last two trading sessions. "Fifty thousand grid! Do I hear any other bids? Going once, twice, sold to the Argelian merchant in the back row!"

            The crowd started to thin as they made their way to the building right of the dais. The slave quarters. It was dark, even on a bright day, and smelled of musty hay and stagnant water.

            The slave trader came waddling up to them, followed by the two-behemoth Murelian guards, prisoner in tow; A fresh welt across his cheek and blood on his lower lip.

            He glared at his two new captors. The Argelian just glared back, and the hooded one ignored him completely.

            "Here he is gentlemen. I strongly urge caution. Even with the chi collar, he is difficult to handle." He held out his chubby but well manicured hand.

            Ralston curled his lips down, his disgust evident in his gray eyes, as he dropped a handful of jewels into the outstretched hand.

            The man bowed and motioned for the guards to hand over the leash. They hurried off down the hall to finish the less lucrative transactions of the day.

            "If you know what's good for you, you'll let me go." The Saiyan growled.

            "And if you know what's good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut and do as your told." The distinct female voice floated from under the hood. "Prince Vegeta."

            He smirked. "So, you know who I am."

            "So do a lot of people wanting to slit your throat. Just come with us and act like you know your place. I'll explain everything when we get to my ship."

            Anger flared up briefly on his face as he felt his chi rise, only to be shut off with the intense pain from the collar. He growled with frustration. "And just why should I trust you, bitch?"

            A slender hand reached up and pushed the hood back just enough to expose an angelic face, surrounded by soft blue hair. Pouty lips turned down in a frown and ice blue eyes flashed in annoyance. "Because you need me as much as I need you."

            He shut his mouth. He hadn't been expecting someone like her. "So. You need me, eh? Well I don't need anybody. Take this damn collar off of me woman."

            "Fine. Let Freeza's men just kill you this time. At least I was offering safe passage and a way to seek revenge." She raised a magnetic key and released the collar. It fell to the ground with a thud.

            Vegeta sighed and rubbed his neck. It had been so long since he had been free of that damned thing. "Revenge?"

            "We must go My Lady. This has taken far longer than we anticipated and drawn to much attention. He is surely being watched." Ralston looked around nervously.

            "Yes, I know. Come then. We must get back to the ship. You may accompany us if you wish." She flipped her hood back down covering her face and walked away.

            He ground his teeth in exasperation. "Alright. I'll listen to your explanation after we are off this hideous hunk of rock."  It did seem logical to use any means at his disposal to get out of there. Besides; he could always kill them all later and take the ship for himself.

            A pair of pink eyes, watched from the shadows as the threesome walked toward the spaceport. 


End file.
